Before lockdowns and beyond , Vitality ’ s community of runners kept active and engaged with the coveted Run Series events , and now they ’ re back and in person at iconic South African venues
Centred around Vitality ’ s aim to inspire a global movement in health and aligned to Vitality ’ s global commitment to get 100 million people 20 % more active by 2025 , Vitality embarked on the Vitality Run Series as a way to engage and expand on existing running communities .
In addition , people who want to get active through running looked for safe , organised events in which to participate .
“ The current reality in the world is that people are not moving enough . According to the World Health Organization ( WHO ), physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for premature deaths each year . Not moving enough therefore poses a significant global health problem . Locally , inactivity is more severe than other parts of the world , with data showing that 38 % of South Africans are physically inactive ,” says Dr Mosima Mabunda , Head of Wellness at Vitality .
pride of place with runners , who still mention them anecdotally ,” says Dr Mabunda .
Later that year , Vitality expanded the Vitality Run Series to other provinces in South Africa .
Run Series in lockdown and beyond
“ During the COVID-19 pandemic , we continued our Run Series with virtual events . Members had to register and time their 5km or 10km race to win virtual medals . We saw thousands of runners use this as an experience while in-person events were restricted ,” says Dr Mabunda .
And now , don ' t miss the first in-person Vitality Run Series for 2022 – kicking off in the Western Cape on 5 February . The Spartan Harriers Club has been motivating runners since 1901 - that ' s 121 years of epic athletics - plus there is loads in store for runners , including seven incredible prizes from Huawei to be won .
And so , the inaugural Discovery Vitality Run Series took place in 2017 . It involved partnering with four of the most established road running race clubs in Johannesburg – including the Randburg Harriers and Old Eds clubs . The primary objective of the campaign was to get South Africans active and ultimately grow the running community .
The first event saw over 25 000 South Africans participating . “ Interestingly , Vitality created an integrated set of medals , shaped as puzzle pieces , to encourage people to collect all four in the series as they completed the races . This quickly found
Runners can earn 300 Vitality points for completing 5 km and 600 Vitality points for running 10 km or 15 km . Plus , earn an extra 500 booster Vitality points as this is
a Discovery Vitality sponsored event , and a physical medal .
As always , Team Vitality runners can get 50 % off their race entry fee and for the first time in a while get to join us at the finish line and enjoy exclusive VIP hospitality .